Carriage assembly



Aug. 7, 1951 A. L. STONE 2,553,627

CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 20, I947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG I.

FIG. 3.

Jim, INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

g- 7, 1951 A. L. STONE CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1947 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY Albert L. Stone, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Oil Development Company, Elizabeth, N. J acorporation of Delaware Application December 20, 1947, Serial No. 792,891

The present invention is directed to a carriage adapted to be mounted on a monorail.

The monorail shown in the present application (see Figs. 4 and 5), on which the carriage is adapted to be mounted. is not claimed in this case but is described and claimed in my copending application. Serial No. 101 .025, filed June 24, 1949, and entitled Monorail for Supportin a Movable Carriage.

It is common to mount a carriage on a suitable track for movement of the carriage along such a track. It is often desirable that the track and carriage be relatively light because it is necessary to suspend or support it. For example, such overhead carriages are used for traveling cranes or hoists.

Another example of the use of such traveling members is in the equipment adapted for handling sections of pipe in a well drilling derrick as described and claimed in my copending patent applications Serial No. 690,944, filed August 16, 1946, Method for Stacking Drill Pipe and Serial No. 692,201, filed September 22, 1946, Apparatus for Handling Pipe in a Derrick and Serial No. 692,202, filed September 22, 1946, Apparatus for Racking Pipe. In such operations where it is necessary to provide a movable carriage it is desirable to provide a simple arrangement which is capable of resisting substantial torsion while having a relatively light weight.

The present invention is directed to the carriage adapted to be mounted on a monorail.

More particularl the present invention is directed to a carriage adapted to be mounted on a monorail and provided with cams for readily altering the pattern of travel of the carriage with respect to the monorail to reduce the fraction required for moving the carriage along the monorail.

now be described in greater detail in conjunction with the drawing in which:

Fig. l is an elevation showing one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken along IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along III-III of Fig'. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the rail member of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the rail member of is- Fig. 6 is an elevation of a view of a member of the assembly of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 7 is an end view of the member of Fig. 6

Fig. 8 is an elevation of another member of the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 9 is another view of the member of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is another view of the member of Fig. 8.

The assembly of Figs. 1 and 2 may be described The invention of the present application will 4 1 Claim. (Cl. 105153) briefly as including a carriage assembly .A adapted for movement along rail member B.

Carriage assembly A includes a frames which serves as a mounting means for roller assemblies C and a power nut assembly D. Roller assemblies C are adapted to engage with track B for moving the carriage parallel with the longitudinal axis of track B. The power nut assembly D is arranged to be rotated by a suitable prime mover designated as E and embraces a. power screw F having its axis parallel to the axis of track B whereby rotation of nut D serves to drive the carriage assembly A along track B.

Roller assemblies C each consist of a bolt or axle l0 provided with a castellated nut l I adapted to receive a cotter key I2 for holding the nut in place. Carried by bolt ID is a bushing 13 which has a longitudinally extending opening !4 eccentric with the axis thereof. Also carried by bolt II) is a flange member l5 having a central passage 16. A roller ll having a V-shaped circumferential groove defined by surfaces I8 is mounted on bushing l3 for rotation therewith, substantially friction-free rotation of roller ['1 being provided by bearing assemblies l9 and 20.

Rail B consists of a tubular member 2| having oppositely extending ribs 22, the outer edges of which define beveled surfaces23 adapted to engage with the friction surfaces l8 of trolley wheels IT. The ends of the rail assembly B are flattened and are provided with laterally extending holes 24 for securin the rail to a suitable structure as, for example, to a derrick used for drilling boreholes. The configuration of the ends of the rail allows it to be readily removed from the carriage assembly A after the rail has been detached from the structure on which" it is mounted.

Bushing l3 and flange member l5 cooperate to form a unit adapted to be rotated about bolt l0. Flange member 15 will be seen to define an annular body with a flange 25 extendin radially therefrom, a pair of shoulders or projections 25 extending axially from one side and a pair of shoulders or projections 28 extending from the opposite side. Projections 26 effect the same purpose as split screw driver and fit within grooved opening 29 defined by bushing l3. Spaced projections 28 are designed to receive a hexagonshaped head of bolt I0 so that the bolt is held against rotation as lon as flange member I5 is secured against rotation. Holes 3| are provided around the periphery of flange member I5- and a threaded hole 32 is provided in frame A of the carriage. Flange member I5 is prevented from rotating with respect to the carriage by inserting a cap screw 33 through one of the' holes 3! into tapped hole 32. v

It is a feature of the device of the present in- (i vention that the carriage A may be readily ad justed so that its path of travel is parallel to the longitudinal axis ofpower screw F. This adjustment may be obtained by removing the cap screws 33 from the desired number of assemblies C and rotating the eccentric bushing members [3 until the path of travel of the carriage is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the power screw F. For convenience, in adjusting the path of travel of carriage A, it will be desirable to remove the'ca p screws 33 and rotate the flange members of the two bottom assemblies C until the surfaces It of the rollers I! are out of contact with surfaces 23 of the rail assembly B. The cap screws 33 of the two upper assemblies C may then be removed and the bushing members 13 of the two upper .assemblies C then rotated abouttheir respective bolts l9 un'tilth'e path of travel of the carriageis parallel to the longitudinal axis of power screw vF. 'When the path of travel of, the carriage has are in line with the tapped opening 3 2 of the frame 9 of the carriage. When the two upper eccentric members are locked in place, the two lower assemblies 0 are then adjusted until the surfaces [8 thereof engage with the surfaces 23 of the .lowerrib of rail assembly B. It will be F to prevent any binding as it moves along rail B, but at the same time the frictional surfaces 18 of the four assemblies C engage with thesur- Lfaces 23 of the rail to-prevent unwanted angular movement of the carriage about the longitudinal axis of the rail. 'Inuse, thesurfaces [80f rollers 11 and surfaces 23 of rail member .B wear and from time to time it is necessary .to adjust assemblies C to take care of this wear. After the assembly .has "once been adjustedso that its path of travel is parallel to the longitudinal axis of power screw F, it will usually be-found that the wearof surfaces 18 and 23 is substantially uniform so that the path of travel of the carriageis not substantially altered .asathese frictional surfaces-are worn, However, to adjustfor this wear and preventundue movement :of the carriage ab'o'ut the longitudinal axis of railB, it will usuv:ally be desirable to adjust the two-lower assemrblies C and this may be done by removing the cap'screws 33 from the two lower assemblies 0,

rotating the bushings |3 of the two lower assembl-ies'about their respective bolts l 0 until the surfaces lB of these two assemblies 'frictionally engage with the surfaces 23 of .rail B whereupon the bushing may be locked into position by reinserting :cap screws 33 into tapped openings 3-2 and a device may remain fixed inthisrposition until additional wear of the frictional surfaces requires .further adjustment.

, :From the above description it will be obvious that the device of the present invention embodies Y a number of advantages, 'Ihe arrangement of the wheels which contact with themonorail'allows the axis of-aotation of the wheels to 'be readily shifted when desired and they may be positively loekedwhen adjusted to the desired position. In the preferred embodiment shown where'two pairs of axles are arranged with the plane defined by the axles of each pair parallel to the plane defined by the other pair, the eccentric adjusting means allows the carriage to be adjusted so that a member thereof, such as the nut transmitting the power for moving the carriage, may have its axis parallel to the axis of the screw on which it travels. .The adjusting means not only allows the carriage to be adjusted so that the axis of a given member thereof is parallel with another axis but in addition allows the carriage to be adjusted so that the wheels make a snug fit with the contacting surfaces of the monorail.

While I have disclosed a specific embodiment 1 of the present invention, it will be obvious to a workman skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the sizes, shapes and proportions of the parts thereof without departing from the scopeof the invention.

Having fully described and illustrated thep'resent invention, what I desire to claim as new and useful and. to secure by Letters Patent is:

A carriage assembly adapted for movement on a monorailhaving upper and lower contacting surfaces comprising, in combination, a carriage,

a first pair of spaced axles with their axes parallel mounted on the carriage, a second pair of spaced axles mounted on the carriage with their axes lying in a plane parallel to the plane defined by the axes of the first axles, a bushing mounted on each of said axles each "bushing having an outer cylindrical surface and an inner cylindrical surface fitting snugly on an axle and eccentric with respect to the outer surface, one end of each bushing having 'a grooved opening perpendicular to the longitudinal axis .of the bushing, a flange member mounted on each of the axles, each flange'member having a central passage, a plurality of 'circumferentially spaced "openings and axially extending projections, each flange member being mounted with said projections en gaging the grooved'opening of the'bushing which is mounted on the same axle as the flange member, a bolt member passing through one of said circumferentially spaced'openings of each of said flange members to secure the flange member to the frame, a bearing assembly carried by -"each bushing and a wheel member mounted on each bearing assembly for rotation with respect to said bushing.

ALBERT L. SI 'GNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Great Britain May 1331940 

